Messenger Plus! is the most popular MSN plug-in, collecting together all the extras users could ask for into one program. It's certainly an excellent pack of tools which heavy Messenger users consider as essential and which certainly improves your IM experience. Over all these years it has been able to adapt to every new Messenger version, including the name change and the new interface design. In fact, Messenger Plus! is now seamlessly integrated into Windows Live Messenger 2011: the only way you can tell it's there is by the tiny button on the top right corner of the main interface.

The Messenger Plus! tools can be divided into several groups, depending on the aim they're made for: you get tools to improve your chats, format text, change Messenger's appearance with skins, customize fonts and manage chat logs, among others. Messenger Plus! also lets you password protect your Messenger and includes support for scripting, so that you can add your own features to the plug-in.

The list of improvements Messenger Plus! brings to Windows Live Messenger doesn't end here. Tabbed chat windows, custom status messages, quick texts for frequently used expressions are just some of the new features you’ll be able to enjoy with Messenger Plus!. It can take a while to tweak all these settings, but fortunately a useful after-install wizard makes the basic initial configuration a lot easier.

All in all, Messenger Plus! is probably the only plug-in you'll ever need, especially if you like customizing every single detail of your Messenger.

Recent changes

Support WLM 2012

Review last updated: 08/04/13

Pros

Very well integrated into Messenger

Vast selection of new and improved features for Messenger

Nice interface design

Add your own features with scripts

Very easy to use

Cons

Takes a while to configure all of its options

You need scripting knowledge to create new tools

Applying skins requires Messenger restart

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Messenger Plus! Live is the one essential add-on for Windows Live Messenger, period. After 150 million installations since 2001, when it started as a simple add-on for MSN Messenger 3, Messenger Plus! is guaranteed to improve your Messenger experience by leaps and bounds. You won't just get a couple of new options, what you'll get is a whole new dimension for the Windows Live Messenger software.

Thought out end-to-end to improve and enhance your instant messaging without getting in your way, Plus! adds lots of capabilities to Windows Live Messenger. It lets you use them at your will from the simple Plus! menu that gets added to every Messenger window and a couple of new buttons you'll find within the Messenger interface:

Tabbed chats

Use a tabbed web browser? Even if you don't, you might find tabbed conversations useful for organizing your chats by converting a myriad of windows into a simple single one. Vertical tabs on the left, normal tabs on the top. You name it. You can also use tabs to group just some special chats and keep all the rest in normal windows.

Personalized Status

Create custom away or busy statuses with a special name tag, personal message or even an auto-responder. Set a timer to reset your status in a certain time and organize presets to reuse common statuses.

Contacts on Desktop

Similar to what ICQ used to offer, you can show the status of any desired contact on your desktop in the form of small floating windows. You can drag and drop messages or links into these to send a message to the contact, or drop a file to start a transfer.

Event viewer and event logging

Contact sign ins and sign outs, status changes, display name and personal messages changes. Everything can be logged and archived in XML-based files which you can view from your browser. You can also use the Event Viewer in the Plus! menu to view this info in real time, to find if a certain contact signed in earlier or analyze their status changing behaviour, or even their musical tastes!

"Messenger Plus! 5.11 has flash animations (winks)"

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usability10

Stability10

Installation10

Functionality10

Appearance10

The latest version of Messenger Plus! for Windows Live Messenger is 5.11 adds the ability to send flash animations (winks) to contacts. It also keeps in tact the popular, traditional Messenger Plus! features like Unlock Messenger and multiple accounts. In response to the question about compatibility with ($$$#0#$$$) (WLM) 2011, Versions 5.0 and higher of Messenger Plus! are compatible with both WLM 2011 and WLM 2009 (XP)

Pros

Choice of 35 winks

Skin Creator and editor (since 5.10)

Chat Assistant

Brazilian Portuguese version now available

Still supports both WLM 2011 and WLM 2009 (XP)

Cons

To view the winks and some other features, your contacts also need to download Messenger Plus!

What do you think about Messenger Plus!?

MSN/Live Messenger is no longer available!

Microsoft is replacing Windows Live Messenger with Skype. All your contacts will be moved automatically. Take a look at our Complete Guide to Moving from Messenger to Skype for everything you need to know.